Newt Gingrich added his name to the growing number of prominent Republicans who want to see AG Gonzales quit but as he also serves at the pleasure of the President it is unlikely he will leave until he absolutely must.
"I think the country, in fact, would be much better served to have a new team at the Justice Department, across the board," Gingrich said. "I cannot imagine how he is going to be effective for the rest of this administration. … They're going to be involved in endless hearings."
The more we learn about the events leading up to the recent US Attorney firings, the more clear the AG's role was. Not only did he know about the situation but seemed to have been briefed at every possible point. The irony is that his press conference mea culpa was equally pathetic. What happened to accountability? It certainly cannot rest with someone who accepts responsibility with the caveat that he can claim ignorance whenever it suits him thereby making him responsible for nothing that happens.
The irony doesn't end there. Just as the Legislative Branch gears up to reclaim some of the power it abdicated to the White House we learn more about how its members were active participants in this scandal. If the line between the Executive and Legislative branches seemed murky before, it just got a lot murkier.
And it isn't just GOP presidential hopefuls who wants the AG to step down, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's comment that There's a new Congress in town, was refreshing. Nothing makes me smile more than a Democrat with a backbone.
The dilemma Democrats face now is how far to go with this and the other investigations planned. In my opinion there has never been an administration more deserving of hearings and possibly impeachment but despite that, and my personal desire to see Rove et al go down in flames, it will not help Democrats or the country. The GOP's treatment of President Clinton and his advisors was depolorable and his lapse in judgment is no where near as serious as the real crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated by Dubya et al. The rub is most of America is tired of scandal and infighting. The Democrats may be right on this but will be burned the same way the GOP was if they follow the same path.
AlysonChadwick.com 